RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Residents in the city's largest landscape-maintenance district will be able to cast a ballot to decide whether to raise their rates for service.

City staffers recommended the ballot measure after survey results showed a majority of residents in the district supported a rate increase.

Assessment rates have not changed in 20 years.

Voters rejected a hike in 2011, and some have expressed unhappiness over the city's rejection of those results.

City officials said they are giving residents another chance to vote because of a low participation rate but acknowledged that communication about the issue should have been better in the past.

"For me, this is about property values," Mayor Dennis Michael said. "It's about maintaining the safety within the neighborhood. It's about maintaining the beautiful pristine environment that you live in. I think people want that. I do believe people want that, and I'm not going to take a position on which way people should vote. I think it's important, at least from my perspective.

"I would regret it for the rest of my career that we didn't give this one more chance. "

LMD 2 is an L-shaped area of land bounded by Etiwanda Avenue in the east, the 210 Freeway in the north, the halfway line between Milliken and Haven avenues in the west, and south above Base Line Road and Church Street in the eastern part of the district.

Officials said the annual budget shortfall for the district is about $222,000 and that costs have risen substantially.

If the increase is approved, rates would be raised by $40, officials said.

If rates remain the same, Public Works Director Bill Wittkopf said the plan is to discontinue watering and care of 1.5 million square feet of grass in the district's landscaped areas, which includes turf on medians, "paseo" walkway areas, and grassy portions of the district's parks other than play areas.

Victor Muniz, who has been a vocal critic of a new ballot measure, said the city should have provided a plan to implement the will of the people in 2011 instead of embarking on a public outreach effort and holding a new election.

"In July 2011, we made a vote, and you folks promised us you would come up with a landscape-management plan," Muniz said at last week's council meeting. "Any good, qualified civil or mechanical engineer would have come back with a good management plan within 90 days. "

Others say the rate increase would help maintain property values.

"All I am asking is to give residents in LMD 2 the chance to decide for ourselves if less than $4 a month is too much more to contribute to keeping our part of the city beautiful," said Francisco Oaxaca, a planning commissioner and resident of LMD 2.

The public-engagement process cost $40,000, which came from district funds. Much of the money went to hire communications consultant Lew Edwards Group and survey consultant EMC Research, Deputy City Manager Lori Sassoon said.

The cost for conducting the ballot process in 2011 for LMD 2 was $26,000.

Money for that election was from the general fund and the general fund would have been reimbursed by LMD 2 funds if it passed, officials said.

Cost for a new election would be about the same, officials said. The council last week voted 4-0, with Councilman Bill Alexander absent, to go ahead with the vote.

Alexander, who was present at the beginning of the meeting, left shortly before the vote, telling Mayor Dennis Michael he was feeling ill.

Alexander said he was feeling better after the meeting and explained he was nauseous.